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Scott And Nadia's Top Tips For Renovating!

When doing a renovation there are four really important things you need on the checklist peach cushions with how many chandeliers needed are not high on our list.

1.Know your Style & How you Live– There are so many different styles to choose from like our personal fav’s Hamptons, Coastal, Scandi, Scandustrial & Industrial to name a few. Just as people are individuals we all have different styles & taste so the most important thing to do before you begin is work out your style or your clients style! You can look around things like Houzz, Instagram, pinterest & you can also check out the Beaumont tiles website they have this really cool style quiz put together by designers & a psychologist to help you identify your style. Identifying your style is not the only part you need to think about with regard to planning a renovation. You need to also think about how you live or if doing it for someone else how they live. Do they entertain a lot & have friends over all the time, love reading, mad movie buffs, work from home all these import things need to be understood so you can incorporate them into your overall design. This is commonly described by designers as the “Brief” & one of the main inclusions of the brief is functionality as it is a critical part of any successful renovation!

2.Work out your Budget & stick to it – Talk to your local real estate agents & ask what houses are selling for in the area and what style & size (how many rooms) etc. is getting the most $$$. This will help you understand your budget limit. Once you know your budget typically as a guide allow around 10% of the cost of the overall property and allocate funds to each area to be renovated from the overall budget. You have to then stick to that allocation for each room & understand if you overspend then somewhere else will suffer. If this happens you need to work out a way to save money on items or labour or even sacrifice some luxury items. If you stay disciplined with your budget you can eliminate budget creep which has been the undoing of many a renovation. The last thing you want to do is go back to the bank when you didn’t really need too or overcapitalise on the property.

3.Choose your trades or builder – It is really important to choose your trades wisely the wrong choice can impact your whole renovation & not in a good way. Simple rules can help you identify the right people for the right job. Talk to friends that have had work done or use google. Once you narrow the field ask them to show you jobs that they have done & if they can supply references that you choose. Are they approachable give you their details to contact them personally not through the office. Always get a minimum of three quotes for anything you get done, unlike us you don’t have to deliver the house in 7 days! A good tip for you is that if they don’t want to turn up to meet you onsite to discuss getting the job then what makes you think they will when something is wrong. We were very lucky on Reno Rumble we had amazing trades that worked tirelessly to deliver our visions & we are firm believers in treating people how you want to be treated. Keeping to this rule If you treat trades poorly, then unwittingly you can be the undoing of your own renovation. This can also be the opposite & you could get an Amazing transformation by treating them really well. When dealing with all our trades we keep one rule in mind & that is ask their opinion, involve them in the process & ask them would they do it in their house. You don’t have to follow their advice but you should always consider it.

4.Do what you can will save money– You don’t need to me the most amazing handyman on the planet to save yourself money Nadia is the only person with a trade in our family & she is a hairdresser. One of our favourite parts of any renovation is the “D” word……..meaning Demolition. Anyone can do it so just talk to your trades about what can be done that will save money or what needs to be removed so they can start to rebuild. Order a bin and away you go. The other thing that anyone can do is offer to be the labourer for your trades this will get you more involved in the whole process & save you money at the same time. If you are working for them they don’t need to pay someone else to do what you can. The side benefit of that is you don’t need a gym membership on Reno Rumble Scotty lost nearly 15Kg!

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